Throughout Europe, people rock T-shirts with the slogan, “Sorry I Can’t It’s Padel Time.” It won’t be long before the motto starts popping up across Denver, according to Evan Brown. The founder of the Aspen Padel Club, Brown is behind the Mile High City’s first dedicated outdoor padel court, which will debut during a grand opening event on June 28 at Cloud 9 Park in the mixed-use 9+CO development in Hale.
One of the world’s fastest growing sports, padel—a mashup of tennis and squash—is played by over 30 million people worldwide, according to the International Padel Federation. Fewer than 10 percent of players reside in the United States, where pickleball still reigns, but Brown believes Europe’s cult racket game (pronounced PAH-del) is primed to explode stateside as more courts open.
Similar to pickleball, the mostly doubles game is low-impact, but the ball moves faster over a larger area and players need more speed and fitness to play shots that bounce off the walls. Brown, who was introduced to padel while working a tech job in New York City, says pickleball is akin to driving go-karts while padel is more like racing F1. “Pickleball can feel like a snooze,” says Alex Martino, 31, of Denver. “Padel requires athleticism. It’s fast and competitive, but unlike tennis, you can still have fun playing with people of different skill levels.” Martino is one of 40-plus enthusiasts on Denver Padel, a What’s App chat group that’s already formed around the forthcoming court at Cloud 9 Park…